Which of the following trials is commonly used before a diet trial to assess potential parasite involvement in suspected food-responsive enteropathy?

• A. Antibiotic trial
• B. Probiotic trial
• C. Steroid trial
• D. Fenbendazole trial

Answer: (D)

Ruling out parasites before a diet trial is a common step in suspected food-responsive enteropathy. A fenbendazole trial is used because it acts against many intestinal parasites and has a wide safety margin, making it a practical, inexpensive way to clear potential parasitic involvement. If the dog improves after this deworming course, parasites were likely contributing to the symptoms; if there’s little or no improvement, you can proceed with a diet trial to assess food-responsive enteropathy. The other trials serve different purposes—antibiotic trials check for antibiotic-responsive enteropathy, steroid trials assess steroid-responsive inflammatory disease, and probiotic trials address dysbiosis—so they aren’t the standard pre-diet screen for parasites.